One of the things I have found helps me on my fitness journey is planning. I'm a Virgo, so planning is always fun for me but it can be a bit intimidating and stressful for some. To sit down and actually make a plan and commit is tough. But planning helps to give you a solid game plan and focus. Most of the time, people starting out don't know where or how to begin. Taking the first step to sit down and figure out your goals and how to achieve them is an amazing feeling.
I got this idea from Blogilates, which is run by a Pilates Youtuber named Cassey Ho, who I've followed on and off since 2012. She sets up monthly calendars on her website and each workout for each day is listed to complete for a full workout. I would highly recommend her if you're looking to try something at home. The way she does this was the inspiration for how I plan my own monthly workouts.
The general rule is that you should work out 5 times a week between 30-45 mins with 2 rest days.
My final workout plan technically is a workout plan within a workout plan and is as follows:
SUNDAY: Rest Day
MONDAY: Morning Pilates 4:45am-6am
TUESDAY: Morning Pilates 4:45am-6am, Barre Class 6:30pm-7:30pm
WEDNESDAY: Morning Pilates 4:45am-6am, Gym 7:30pm-8:30pm
THURSDAY: Morning Pilates 4:45am-6am, Gym 7:30pm-8:30pm
FRIDAY: Rest Day
SATURDAY: Gym 9:30am-11am or 10am - Noon
Sundays are good for me as a rest day because it gives my body a chance to recuperate after the extended gym time from Saturday. It also gives me time to watch football, blog and work on the podcast. Mondays are usually the hardest for people to work out. Pilates in the morning and THAT EARLY is difficult but it gives me that boost and confidence for the day. Notice there's no gym visit that day. I felt it was important to start the week off slow and build up to it as the week goes on. Tuesdays I do Pilates in the morning then go straight to my Barre class in the evenings at MV Fitness. Barre is a combination of ballet, Pilates and yoga and it is just intense and challenging enough for me to build strength. It also prepares me for the next two days of evening gym visits. Wednesday and Thursday gym visits I focus on specific targets per visit. Wednesday is Cardio and Legs and Thursday is Arms, Abs and Back. Fridays, as a preschool teacher, are needed to simply decompress. I tend to do my longer meditations on this day, 30-45 mins rather than 15 , as well as focus on my spiritualism practices. Saturdays I tend to wake up early since my body is used to it. I do about a 30 min meditation, breakfast then head to the gym for a total body workout for 1 hour and 30 mins.
It seems like a lot which is why I use my planner. I personally do better seeing everything visually so writing it down helps immensely. But this is how detailed I got with my planning based on my schedule and how I know I will be as far as fatigue, my time of the month, etc. Obviously sometimes life happens so I have to readjust or even skip a day. Just know this is completely okay as long as you don't get lazy. Its EXTREMELY easy to slip into this habit.
There is a lot that goes into this. So ask yourself these questions:
I got this idea from Blogilates, which is run by a Pilates Youtuber named Cassey Ho, who I've followed on and off since 2012. She sets up monthly calendars on her website and each workout for each day is listed to complete for a full workout. I would highly recommend her if you're looking to try something at home. The way she does this was the inspiration for how I plan my own monthly workouts.
The general rule is that you should work out 5 times a week between 30-45 mins with 2 rest days.
My final workout plan technically is a workout plan within a workout plan and is as follows:
SUNDAY: Rest Day
MONDAY: Morning Pilates 4:45am-6am
TUESDAY: Morning Pilates 4:45am-6am, Barre Class 6:30pm-7:30pm
WEDNESDAY: Morning Pilates 4:45am-6am, Gym 7:30pm-8:30pm
THURSDAY: Morning Pilates 4:45am-6am, Gym 7:30pm-8:30pm
FRIDAY: Rest Day
SATURDAY: Gym 9:30am-11am or 10am - Noon
Sundays are good for me as a rest day because it gives my body a chance to recuperate after the extended gym time from Saturday. It also gives me time to watch football, blog and work on the podcast. Mondays are usually the hardest for people to work out. Pilates in the morning and THAT EARLY is difficult but it gives me that boost and confidence for the day. Notice there's no gym visit that day. I felt it was important to start the week off slow and build up to it as the week goes on. Tuesdays I do Pilates in the morning then go straight to my Barre class in the evenings at MV Fitness. Barre is a combination of ballet, Pilates and yoga and it is just intense and challenging enough for me to build strength. It also prepares me for the next two days of evening gym visits. Wednesday and Thursday gym visits I focus on specific targets per visit. Wednesday is Cardio and Legs and Thursday is Arms, Abs and Back. Fridays, as a preschool teacher, are needed to simply decompress. I tend to do my longer meditations on this day, 30-45 mins rather than 15 , as well as focus on my spiritualism practices. Saturdays I tend to wake up early since my body is used to it. I do about a 30 min meditation, breakfast then head to the gym for a total body workout for 1 hour and 30 mins.
It seems like a lot which is why I use my planner. I personally do better seeing everything visually so writing it down helps immensely. But this is how detailed I got with my planning based on my schedule and how I know I will be as far as fatigue, my time of the month, etc. Obviously sometimes life happens so I have to readjust or even skip a day. Just know this is completely okay as long as you don't get lazy. Its EXTREMELY easy to slip into this habit.
There is a lot that goes into this. So ask yourself these questions:
- What is your goal?
- How often will you do this?
- Where will I do this?
- What exercises should you do that will help you reach your goal?
- How many sets and reps should I do? (Spoiler alert: between 3-5 per exercise and 8-10 reps. I usually do 3-5 sets of 15 reps.)
- How long should I wait between sets? (depends on your fitness goals!)
Here are some tips that I found helped me during this process
- Having a workout journal (I use a physical one as well as MyFitnessPal.com for exercise and calorie counting. It's free to use and there's an app!)
- Having a designated planning day so that way your weeks are consistent
- Sharing it online holds you accountable and gets your friends interested too and may even inspire them.
- Keep your workout plan balanced by making sure no area is untouched by the week's end.
- Do the most important exercises first earlier in the week if you feel comfortable.
- Change your reps every few weeks so your body wont adjust.
- Include a variety of activities in your routine.
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